Raindrops keep falling on our heads…

Last year saw Isabelle’s second birthday party take place in glorious sunshine, it was pretty much text book and perfectly timed being in a garden complete with a bouncy castle.

Flash forward and it’s more of a case of happy bathday as we spent it at Marsh Farm on a day that was so wet that roads were flooded and even Southend sea front was under water and that was when the tide was out! In fact if it had rained any more they would have had to have renamed it Southend in Sea. Cue clever shark related photo from the Sea Life Centre, how very SharkNado!

As it turns out Marsh Farm was thankfully less Marsh marsh but boy did it rain and rain and rain. All of which meant I don’t know of a group of people who were ever so pleased to be spending a longer time in a piggery. I’ve also never been so jealous of pigs sat on dry straw under warm lights.

Talking of pigs, thanks in no small part to the Peppa variety, all the children weren’t fussed by the rain (to be fair even gathered parents were amiable enough – although I predict a years worth of undercover birthday party invites from attending children for the next 12 months!)

The deluge may have made us damp but it certainly didn’t dampen our spirits and the brushing the pony experience went down a storm, which is rather fitting as the rain really clattered down on our parade at that point although again we were under cover so it mattered not a jot. It did give the kids to per some goats, although I’m not so sure the baby goats were quite as pleased to see ten pairs of tiny hands reaching for a feel.

It was then back outside for the world’s bumpiest tractor ride that hit every pot hole possible and had to be driven by Sandra Bullock as it was like they weren’t able to slow down, the only thing missing was the bridge jump.

Turns out we could have done with Sandra and her tractor on the way back due to the obscene amount of water on the road, parts if the a127 were flooded which meant we had to drive on the path in parts and had a Speed ‘stay on or get of moment’ learning that one section of the road had submerged cars in it.

We travelled as a convoy which made it feel like we were storm chasers from Twister, although the cars on the path moment was probably more akin to the scene in Dante’s Peak where cars try and cross the river.

Speed, Dante’s Peak, Twister – all these disaster movie titles being bandied about seems quite apt as when we finally got our wet selves home we were greeted by The Poseidon Adventure in our kitchen which had let water in.

The rain though was like water of the proverbial ducks back to Iz and she loved her day surrounded by her friends. And we enjoyed being surrounded by some of ours as well, who had travelled hundreds of miles to walk round and get wet, that’s friendship.

Of course, it would have been no birthday without a cake and this year it was of the Scooby-Doo variety, which seemed a popular choice with the gathered children and fitting with the er ghoulish weather, as was the sparkly candle which Iz took great delight in blowing out not once but twice.

As she sat, flanked by her friends either side, munching on her lunch I knew that despite us all looking a little bit like rats of the drowned variety Isabelle had a birthday that she would remember for all the right reasons even though for us grown ups it will be for all the wet and soggy ones.